


💙 Heart Beats (Choutarou Ootori)

by TheRainRogue



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Anime, Comedy, Fluff, Friendship, Other, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:41:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 10,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24329701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRainRogue/pseuds/TheRainRogue
Summary: Y/N has had a crush on her underclassman since the day that they met, but being polar opposites, she never dreamt that she stood a chance with him. One night, she decides to try her luck and wish on a shooting star. This decision starts to turn the wheels of fate and she ends up invited along with Hyotei to Atobe’s cabin for a winter getaway. Can she claim her beloved or return home with a heart of ice?
Relationships: Choutarou Ohtori/Reader
Kudos: 3





	1. Wish Upon A Star✶

**Author's Note:**

> Heart Beats was written for the “Lights, Camera, Action!” contest on Quizilla. The participants were given a list of prompts and had to write a series that flowed like a movie script. I chose Choutarou because he’s adorable and one of my favorite characters in the world. In this series, the reader is a high school student, so the reader is a bit older than he is.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

You stared up at the dark ceiling of your bedroom. It was pretty late but you just couldn’t get to sleep. Instead, you lay flat on your back, hands folded behind your head. Your eyes moved to the window, the only source of light in the dark room.

With a sigh, you pushed yourself off the bed, walking over to the window and pushing it open. The cool breeze hit your face instantly, rustling your hair and making you close your eyes in content. The street down below was completely silent other than the rustling of leaves as they danced together in the wind. One would think you’d be able to sleep on such a peaceful night, but that just wasn’t the case.

Your eyes moved to the dark, cloudless sky where the stars shined even brighter than that of a full moon. One stood out among the rest, however. Off to the side sat a rather large diamond-like star, shining brighter than any other. You weren’t sure why, but it seemed almost magical.

Biting your lip, you folded your hands together in front of you and closed your eyes, ‘If you are magical, then please grant me this wish. I wish… I wish I stood a chance with Choutarou. I wish I was good enough for him.’

Your eyes opened slowly and narrowed at your folded hands, a bitter smile on your face. “How childish. As if someone like him would have any interest in a mess like me.”

You shook your head, blaming your foolishness on a lack of sleep as you crawled back into bed. The strings pulling at your heart managed to lull you to sleep where you dreamed of stars and wishes.

Your dream was vivid and it seemed much too real to be a dream.

You were standing in a field in the country, not a single building in sight. The sky was a velvet black and the stars overhead shone through the tall trees with ease, like a guiding light. The ground beneath your feet was covered in several inches of pure white snow and the only sound heard was that of owls hooting happily amongst the trees.

It was the most peaceful dream you had ever had.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	2. Denial✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

You sat at a local cafe with An and Kamio. The pair were chatting away without a care in the world, but none of the words they spoke reached you. Your mind was still focused on the events that took place the previous night. You honestly felt foolish making a wish like that. Hell, you felt foolish that you had made a wish period! It wasn’t like you at all… so why did you do it? Even you couldn’t fully grasp the reason.

And that dream… did you have that dream because of the wish you made? Was it just your mind playing with you? _‘Jeez, I’m starting to lose it.’_

“What have you done to me, Choutarou Ootori?” You muttered to yourself, eyes trained on the un-touched drink that sat in front of you, little drips of condensation forming on the glass.

“Y/N?” An called gently, confused by your silence. Normally, you always had something to say and nothing could shut you up, but today was different and the younger female was worried.

Her voice just didn’t reach you. How could they when so much was running through your mind like a pack of wild dogs on the hunt?

“Y/N!” Kamio yelled, standing up and getting into your face to get your attention.

“Heh?” You blinked, eyes flittering between the pair. “What? What’d I do?”

An facepalmed and Kamio sighed, re-taking his seat to your left at the round table.

“What’s up with you today? You’re acting weird. Well, weirder than normal, anyway.”

“Kamio’s right. You’ve barely said a word,” An sent you a concerned look. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I just… have a lot on my mind today,” you muttered in reply, rubbing the back of your head.

“You’re not telling us something,” An muttered, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“It’s nothing… really!” you sweatdropped, holding your hands up in defense.

“Start talking,” Kamio demanded, eyes set in a determined glare. Neither of them planned to let this go, that was for sure.

You sighed, rubbing the back of your head once more and muttering incoherent words under your breath. You avoided their gaze, finding something on the ground to be much more interesting than their scrutinizing stares.

“Wait…” An grinned, leaning closer to you as you grew more uncomfortable. “Didn’t you mention something about that Ootori boy?”

“What? The one from Hyotei?” Kamio questioned, glancing at An in confusion.

“N-No, I didn’t say anything.” You responded quickly, a small blush crossing your face. It angered you that he could turn you into this. No other male had ever been able to make you feel the way he does and he’s not even around!

“Oh… oh!” An grinned wider. “You like him!”

You jumped forward, both hands covering the snickering girl’s mouth. “I don’t like him! I don’t like anybody!”

Pushing her hands away, An let out a cheerful laugh. “You’re in denial!”

“I am not!”

“He must be somethin’,” Kamio mused, hand on his chin in thought. “For him to have caught your attention.”

You scoffed, turning around and walking away.

Your fists clenched and you let out a growl of frustration. You weren’t angry at An or Kamio but at yourself. How could one boy, whom you didn’t even hang out with, do this to you? And a middle schooler, no less!

Not even the other high school boys affected you in such a way.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	3. Once In A Lifetime✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

A very obnoxious ringing brought you out of dreamland and onto the border between awake and asleep. Your hand shot out from under the covers, fumbling around on the bedside table for the annoying item that had disturbed your peaceful sleep. Grabbing the cell phone in your hand, you flipped it open before pressing it to your ear.

“What?” you grumbled, eyes still closed as you attempted to fall back asleep. Screw the person on the phone, you were tired.

“Is that how you always answer the phone?” The voice was familiar, but your brain was still in dreamland and incapable of placing it to a face.

“Only dipshits that wake me up,”

“Arn~ Ore-sama is not pleased,” he paused. “However, Ore-sama has called with a special invitation. Despite your rude nature, the offer still stands,” Another pause, “Ore-sama and the Hyotei Gakuen regulars are heading up to the Atobe family cabin for winter break, and he has decided to invite you to come along,”

“Yeah. Sure. Whatever,” you muttered. You hadn’t even really heard what he said, you just wanted him off the phone so you could go back to sleep. You would end up regretting it later.

He chuckled. “Call Ore-sama back once you’ve had time to think it over,”

The line went dead.

“Uh-huh,” you muttered again, letting the phone fall from your hand as you fell back into dreamland.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

“I think you should go,” An encouraged as she walked at your side.

Kamio scoffed from the other side of you. “It’s a terrible idea! There’s no telling what that damn Atobe is planing!”

You sighed deeply, following the pair as they headed towards An’s house. After finally waking up, what Atobe had said over the phone registered in your mind. Of course, you immediately went looking for the pair, in hopes that they could give you some advice on whether or not you should or shouldn’t agree to the offer. So far, they haven’t been much help.

Was it pathetic for a high schooler to go to two middle schoolers for advice? You didn’t want to know the answer.

“This is Y/N’s chance to spend time with their boy toy!” An scowled at the male as she pushed the door to her house open, stepping inside. You and Kamio were close behind, following the younger girl to the living room.

“ _Please_. I guarantee you, Atobe is expecting something in return. That man doesn’t do things like that for free!” Kamio scowled, sitting down on the couch. You sat to his right, on the end, while An took the other side. All three of you failed to notice Kippei Tachibana, An’s older brother, sitting in the recliner.

“The whole team is going. How can he try something?”

“It’s not difficult!”

“Ugh! Shut up!” you groaned, throwing your head back. You had been listening to these two go back and forth about the topic for the past two hours and it was wearing down your nerves.

“We’ll get you some soda, Y/N-chan, to calm your nerves,” An sent you a smile before grabbing Kamio’s wrist and practically dragging him into the kitchen with her. You let out another groan, eyes narrowed in a glare at the coffee table that sat in front of you. A few seconds later, you felt the couch beside you sink in, indicating that someone had taken the seat.

“What’s wrong?” Kippei questioned, glancing at you.

“Tachibana… can I get your opinion on something?” you turned to face the younger male. He was just a year above the other two, but he was knowledgeable, and very good when it came to giving out advice.

“Of course,” he nodded, turning his full attention to you, concern clear in his dark eyes.

Taking a deep breath, you explained the situation to him. He sat, listening intently and nodding to show that he was still paying attention. You let out a deep sigh after you finished, looking at him with an almost desperate look; he was your last hope at getting a real opinion, one that could actually help you.

No offense to Kamio or An, but they weren’t very helpful at all.

“Do you _want_ to go?” he asked.

“Well… yeah, kind of.”

“Because of that boy,”

You hesitated. “No… maybe…”

He chuckled. “I think you should go. I don’t think you’d end up regretting the decision to go, but I do think you’d end up regretting not going.”

“Maybe you’re right… Thank you, Tachibana,” you smiled, pulling the boy into a tight hug. He chuckled in response, wrapping his arms around your middle.

“I’m glad I could help,”

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend time with Choutarou without raising any questions and, deep down, you knew Kippei was right. You would regret it if you didn’t go, even though you still had a lot of doubts floating around in your head.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	4. Winter✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

You let out a sigh as you packed the last of your clothes into the book bag, zipping it up and throwing it onto your bed with the other one. You had decided to trust Kippei’s advice and go on the trip because you needed to find out just what you felt for Choutarou – if it was some simple, stupid crush, if cupid was playing with your heart, or if it was the real deal.

Picking up your cell phone off the bed, you dialed the king’s number, feeling slightly anxious at what you were about to do. Was this a mistake? It felt like you were sealing your fate, but it was too late to back out now.

“ _Arn~ Have you made your decision?_ ” came his smug voice from the other end of the line.

You bit your lip, feeling doubt pooling in the pit of your stomach. Taking a deep breath, you answered his question. “I have. I accept your invitation, Atobe.”

“ _Excellent! Ore-sama will be arriving next week to pick you up, eight a.m. sharp. Ore-sama will leave you if you’re still asleep,_ ”

“Yeah, yeah,” you muttered at the threat before hanging up the phone and falling back onto the bed. “I wonder… how will this turn out?” Shaking your head to rid yourself of such frustrating thoughts, you grabbed your phone and keys, slipping on your coat before leaving the house. As soon as you stepped outside, the cold winter air hit you, creating little goosebumps across the exposed skin. The cold air helped to calm your nerves and made you feel less anxious as if everything would turn out okay.

“If it’s this cold here… how cold will it be at the cabin?” you mused, thoughtfully, rubbing your left arm; a nervous habit you had developed over the years. It made you feel excited to find out that it would probably be extremely cold there, just as you liked it. That thought alone was enough to make you happy that you had accepted, but of course, you still felt a bit iffy about the whole ordeal. It was still extremely suspect that Atobe had asked you of all people to join them. Just what did he have planned for you?

You shook your head again, little flecks of snow flying off your hair. “No, I have to do this. I have to find out what this feeling is or it’s gonna drive me crazy!”

Even if things went astray at the cabin, all you had to do was leave into the freezing cold woods. No matter what happened, that will always be enough to calm you down. A winter trip couldn’t have worked out better because, no matter what happens, you’d have your comfort waiting outside the door.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	5. Cabin✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

It was finally here, the day that you and the Hyotei regulars went up to Atobe’s cabin. Despite the fact that everyone was piled into the limo, there was still plenty of room left; you could fit at least ten or so more people in there. You were sat as far away from the group as possible, keeping your eyes trained on the passing scenery out the window.

The Atobe Family Cabin was in the middle of a very large forest and near a lake, which made it seem even colder than it actually was. The ground was covered with snow, even though it had stopped snowing a couple hours previously. The lush green trees were covered with the white substance, giving them a beautifully elegant look to them. It was extremely bright outside, even though the sun was covered with light grey fluffy clouds.

The earth was quiet, the only sound was the chirping of birds in the distance, which added a nice effect to the beautiful scenery. Suddenly, all of your worries about it being a bad idea flew out the window. You were happy you had agreed to come.

“Take whichever room you’d like,” Atobe announced once the group stepped inside, the warmth of the heater hitting your chilled face. He walked to the back of the cabin, taking the largest room for himself. His butler followed suit, carrying all of Atobe’s bags with Kabaji right behind.

You rolled your eyes at the king, picking the first room you came across and throwing your bags onto the bed. You got lucky, picking a room with such a view. Almost the whole wall had been turned into a window, giving off a wonderous and breathtaking view of the snowy forest surrounding the cabin. It was almost like a dream.

“Y/N-senpai?”

You turned around in surprise to see Choutarou standing in the doorway, a small blush on his cheeks. “S-Sorry. I knocked, but you didn’t answer.”

“Ah, I guess I got caught up in the view,” you chuckled, rubbing the back of your neck sheepishly. Did you always have to act like such a dope in front of this boy?

He smiled, walking further into the room until he stood beside you at the window. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I’m so happy Atobe-san agreed to let us all come.”

“It’s surprising,” you muttered, catching his attention. “Kinda makes you wonder what he’s got planned for us all.”

He chuckled. “Atobe-san usually always has something on his mind, but it’s always hard to tell what it is.”

You glanced at him, taking notice of how close he stood to you.

“Anyway, Oshitari-senpai was wondering if you’d like to join him and the others on a walk. They’re leaving in a couple hours after they’ve had time to settle in.”

You shook your head. “I appreciate the offer, but no thank you. I just wanna relax for a bit.”

He nodded in understanding. “I’ll leave you be, then.”

You watched as he left the room, pulling the door shut behind him. Your hand flew to your chest as your heart raced within your ribcage at a speed faster than normal. How the hell did he manage to do this to you when he only uttered a few words?

You let out a frustrated sigh, falling face-first onto the bed. “This is so new to me, this feeling… but maybe it _is_ love,” you muttered to yourself, letting your eyes slide closed.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	6. Snow✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

The cabin was quiet.

Atobe and the others had left a few hours ago to go on their little hiking trip, led by the Atobe Family’s oldest and most loyal butler – who apparently knew a lot about the surrounding forest. Night had fallen by now, creating a blanket of black over the land. The snow on the trees and ground seemed to glow in the inky blackness of the night. Even so, it was still just as breathtaking now as it was during the day. The sound of birds had been replaced by the sound of hooting owls, awake for the night to do some hunting. Now that you thought about it, it was oddly similar to that dream you had, but that was probably just a mere coincidence.

“Damn. I wish I could live up here,” you murmured, stepping out of your room. The wooden floor creaked beneath your weight as you headed for the sliding glass doors, heading out onto the wooden porch. Before your butt made contact with the wood, you felt something cold land on your cheek.

You blinked in surprise, looking up at the silky sky to see it filled with little drops of white that slowly floated down to the earth; it was beginning to snow again. This brought a smile to your face as you closed your eyes and leaned back on your hands. Living most of your life in the hotter part of the United States, you never got to experience snow until you moved to Japan. Maybe that’s why it seemed even more magical to you because it was a rare treat that you never got to indulge with very often.

It was like a rare gem.

“Y/N-senpai?”

You looked over your shoulder to see Choutarou walking out of the cabin, giving you a soft smile. “Can I join you?”

“Er… sure,” your eyes followed him as he walked over, shivering slightly when he made contact with the cold wood. “I thought you went with Yuushi and the others?”

He shook his head lightly, a small smile on his face. “I was feeling kind of tired, so I decided to stay here. Besides…” he looked away from you, his cheeks turning a rosy shade. You just figured it was due to the cold. “I know you don’t mind being alone but… I didn’t feel right leaving you by yourself.”

You blinked in surprise before a soft smile came to your lips, a warm feeling erupting in your chest. “I appreciate that, Chou-chan.”

He smiled brightly, leaning closer to you to regain some of his lost warmth. “It’s so beautiful and I can’t believe it’s snowing!” he paused. “I’m happy… that you chose to come with us, Y/N-senpai.”

“Heh?” you blinked again, eyes staring at the younger male. You didn’t fail to notice how bright his cheeks had gone but, being oblivious as you were, you were convinced it was just the cold. You refused to believe he was blushing because of you.

“W-Well…” he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I really like spending time with you…”

You couldn’t stop the bright smile that crossed your lips, nor could you fight against the warm feeling that nestled within your hammering heart. Never had you felt this way before, but it wasn’t something you didn’t like and you could definitely get used to this feeling.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	7. Chocolate✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

“I’ll admit… I was nervous about coming here. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to come but… I’m happy I decided to, as well.” You smiled at him, feeling warm despite the cold snow that fell on top of both of you.

“Nervous?” he blinked, confused as to why you would be feeling that way. In all the time he had known you, you weren’t exactly the type to feel anxious often. “Because of Atobe-san?”

“Uhhh, yeah… _sure, let’s go with that_ ,” you muttered, looking away from him. You couldn’t exactly tell him that the reason you had been feeling so nervous was because of **him**. He’d probably get the wrong idea and it sure as hell wouldn’t be easy to explain.

“Ah, I see. I’m glad that it didn’t stop you,” he spoke softly, staring at the snow-covered ground.

Silence fell over you.

You noticed his shivering from the corner of your eye, even though he tried to hide it, and grabbed his ice-cold hand, pulling him up and back into the cabin. You walked over to the fridge, pulling out a slab of chocolate. “How about some melted chocolate and graham crackers to warm you up, eh?”

“Sounds good!” He smiled brightly, watching you with sparkling eyes as you dumped the chocolate into a pot before grabbing a large pot and putting water in it. That was a trick your grandma had taught you – if you put the pot of chocolate directly on the stove, it’ll burn and not melt properly, but if you put it on top of a pot of boiling water, it’ll melt perfectly.

“Can you go and get the crackers out of the drawer in my bedroom, please?” you questioned, looking over your shoulder.

“Yeah, sure. Which drawer, senpai?”

“Should be the top,”

“Alright,” he nodded, pushing away from the counter and taking off down the hall. You smiled, happy to be alone with the younger male. You weren’t entirely sure why, but just being around him made you feel really happy… happier than you’ve ever in a long time.

 _‘Jeez, I’m acting like a school kid with a crush’_ , you paused before facepalming. _‘Oh wait… I **am** a school kid with a crush… damn it’_,

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	8. Underwear✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

Choutarou walked over to your dresser, pulling open the top drawer. Not seeing the package of graham crackers, he stuck his hand in, feeling toward the back of the drawer. What his hand found was _not_ crackers but, instead, something soft. He blinked, removing his hand from the drawer. His face flushed almost instantly upon seeing what he was holding.

“Oi, Choutarou,” you called, stepping into the room. “The chocolate’s melted. Did you find the – ”

Choutarou froze, face the same color as a cherry. “T-This isn’t… I mean… It’s not what it looks like!”

You blinked, glancing from the flushed male to the pair of your soft cotton underwear held in his hand. You raised an eyebrow in question, making the boy squirm uncomfortably.

“I-I didn’t mean to! I was looking for the crackers and I – !” His expression turned confused as you burst out laughing, clutching your stomach. “I-It’s not funny, senpai!”

Your laughter died down but the grin still remained as you walked over to the boy. Choutarou dropped the article back in the drawer and stared at the ground, too embarrassed to meet your eyes. You reached into the drawer towards the back corner and pulled out a small box of graham crackers, holding the box out to him. “Relax, Chou-chan,”

“Y-You’re not mad… or think bad of me…?” he questioned, afraid of what your answer would be.

“No. If it was one of the others, like Gakuto or Shishido… I probably would have kicked their butt, but I know better when it comes to you. You’re not like that.”

Choutarou felt relief wash over him as he grabbed the crackers from your hand. “Thank you, Y/N-senpai!”

You chuckled, motioning for him to follow you back into the kitchen.

You poured the melted chocolate into a bowl and carried it over to the couch. Choutarou sat beside you, pulling the crackers from the box and fanning them out across a paper towel. And that’s how the two of you spent the next hour, sitting in front of the crackling fireplace with chocolate and graham crackers, talking about anything that happened to pop into your heads.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	9. Axe✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

The group returned about two hours later. Gakuto and Shishido weren’t satisfied, however, and wanted to go back out. The others, who were too tired, denied their request so the pair decided to bug the hell out of you and Choutarou until you finally caved and agreed to their ridiculous request.

“It’s so peaceful~” Gakuto chimed as he walked at Shishido’s side, hands locked behind his head.

Shishido nodded in agreement, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. “It’s nice and quiet, with no annoying fangirls to worry about,”

You were walking a few feet behind the three of them. You scoffed at his words, eyes cast to the side. “It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if they followed you all the way up here, but fangirls aren’t exactly the smartest breed, so they would probably get lost if they tried.” Your eyes moved to the three who had stopped walking to listen to you. “I wouldn’t advise getting scared because they can smell fear; they’d find you right quick,”

Shishido scowled. “They wouldn’t go that far…”

“Believe what you want,” you shrugged, walking past the group. “But there have been times where fangirls have killed because they couldn’t get the object of their undying affection. And these woods… it’s the perfect setting for a murder, ne?”

“M-Murder?” Gakuto gulped, grabbing onto the back of Shishido’s puffy blue jacket.

You smirked over your shoulder at the redhead and nodded. “ _Murder_ ,”

“Ack! What was that?!” Gakuto squeaked, cowering behind the brunette.

“What was wha – ” Shishido’s words cut off, brown eyes glancing around the dark woods. “I heard it too,”

It sounded like a pounding, sort of like a hammer against a stone wall. It was louder, more menacing in the dark wood where the sound intensified and echoed around the group. It made it seem as if it was right behind the group, sending chills up Gakuto’s spine.

“I think… it’s coming from this way,” Choutarou murmured, taking a step to the side.

“Hm, let’s go find out, then.” You shrugged, walking past the grey-haired male and toward the direction of the sound.

“Y-Y/N-senpai!” Choutarou called in a hushed whisper, grabbing onto your arm as he walked at your side. He was afraid, but he wasn’t about to let you investigate alone.

“Don’t leave us!” Gakuto cried, running after you. With a sigh of annoyance, Shishido followed suit, his feet crunching the snow beneath his feet as he went.

The farther the group walked, the louder the sound became, letting you know that you were close to your destination. Once you got to a point where the sound was right in front of you, Shishido moved to stand by your side, shining the flashlight in the direction of the sound. The beam of light landed on a person.

His face scrunched up at the bright light, his beady black eyes narrowed in a glare. He had a huge black and grey beard that matched the small patch of hair sticking out of the flannel red and black hat he wore. He was a big man, standing at least six feet tall with a big belly. In his hand was a rather large axe that glinted dangerously in the light.

Gakuto let out a scream, turning around in an attempt to run away. However, without a source of light, he ran face first into a rather thick tree. You winced as he fell to his back in the snow, a large red mark on his face and his limbs twitching comically.

“Well, _that’s_ gonna hurt in the morning,” you stated, body turned halfway to look at the moronic redhead.

“M-Mukahi-senpai!” Choutarou ran to his side, kneeling down in the snow and resting both hands on his shoulders in order to shake the acrobatic boy. “Are you alright?!”

Shishido let out a sigh of annoyance, his free hand resting on his face in a facepalm.

“Is ‘e okay?” The large man called, wattling over to the group. His feet sunk deeper into the snow than yours did due to his massive size. His voice was ragged and deep, echoing as he spoke., but there was no hint of danger.

“He’ll be fine… he’s got a hard head,” you glanced at the boy before back at the large male that towered over you.

“We should get ’em inside,” the man stated, walking over and picking up the small boy with ease.

“Inside?” Choutarou inquired, standing up to follow him.

“To meh cabin, there.” He motioned towards the large wooden cabin that stood about three feet away from where the group was currently standing.

“…was that there a minute ago?” Shishido lowered his voice, glancing at you.

You just shrugged in response and the two of you followed after the giant man and the tall gray-haired boy.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	10. I’m So Badass✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

Gakuto was placed in the man’s bedroom to rest until he woke up while you, Shishido and Choutarou were sitting at the table in the other room, waiting for the large man to return with the tea he had gone to prepare.

“Is it really okay to trust this guy?” Choutarou whispered, looking between his two senpais that sat beside and in front of him at the large round table.

“He hasn’t given us any reason not to,” Shishido responded with a shrug, leaning back in his chair with his hands folded behind his head.

“‘ere we are,” the man reentered the room, setting down the tray that held the small green cups of tea. He placed one in front of each of the students before taking a seat across from you and between the two boys. “Sorry if I scared ya. Didn’t ‘spect no kids to be lurkin’ ’round the forest this late at night,”

You shrugged in response, a grin on your lips. “They _are_ just little kids. It’s only natural that they’d be afraid,”

Shishido glared at the insult, having the strong urge to step on your foot under the table, but he couldn’t deny the fact that he _had_ been scared, even if it was just a small, barely noticeable amount.

“I’m impressed, senpai.” Choutarou smiled at you. “You weren’t afraid at all?”

You shook your head and shrugged again. “Nah. Things like that don’t scare me,”

“Why’s that?”

Your grin morphed into a smirk as you leaned back in the chair, the front legs hovering above the ground. “It’s because I’m just so _badass_ ,

Shishido scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away from you. “What a load of crap,”

“Coming from the scared little boy,”

“I was not scared!” he growled, slamming his hands down on the table as he stood, his chair scraping across the wooden floor.

“No shame, Shishido.” you grinned, standing up and patting his hat covered head. “Kids get scared easily,”

“S-Shishido-san… Y-Y/N-senpai…” Choutarou stood as well, glancing between his two senpais as you shared a glare; yours was mocking and playful while Shishido’s was heated and annoyed.

The glaring contest was broken, however, when the man – who you still did not know the name of – burst out laughing, holding his large belly and throwing his head back. You and Shishido blinked in surprise, staring at the man as if he had just grown another head.

“I think it’s ‘retty damn cool, how close ya two ‘re. Ya seem to ‘ave a ‘retty strong bond!” He smiled warmly as he looked at the pair of you.

You exchanged a glance with one another before shrugging and sitting back down, earning a relieved sigh from Choutarou who followed suit.

“Ya almost like bro’er and sis’er. Arguin’ one min’te and then best frie’ds the ne’xt,”

“I don’t recall ever being her friend, period. Definitely not a best friend,” Shishido muttered, folding his arms and looking to the side with a scowl on his face.

“What’s your name, anyway?” you questioned, leaning the chair back again, your hand on the table to keep you steady. “And what were you doin’ out in the woods so late?”

“The name’s Harley. I was choppin’ some wood for meh fireplace,” he responded with a grin, motioning towards the fireplace that sat behind you.

You glanced over your shoulder, eyes landing on the crackling flames. “Makes sense,”

A small window of silence appeared over the group.

“Alright, then.” You suddenly stood up, sticking your hands into your pockets. “We should be getting back. Shishido, you can carry the moron, right?”

He scowled at you, standing up and walking into the bedroom where the redhead was still unconscious, a nice sized bump on his forehead.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	11. Full Moon✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

The group had arrived back at the cabin without any more problems.

After explaining the situation, Shishido placed the still unconscious boy in his room so Yuushi could look him over. He believed that Gakuto would be fine – just have a major headache when he woke up – but Atobe arranged for a doctor to arrive in the morning, just to be on the safe side. Everyone had settled down after that, going into their respective rooms and going to sleep; it was almost three in the morning, after all.

You, however, lay in your bed, eyes cast towards the ceiling with a scowl on your face; you were unable to fall asleep. Instead, you pushed yourself out of bed, walking quietly down the hall towards the sliding glass doors.

You slid it open with ease, stepping out onto the freezing wood of the deck. The snow was still falling, but it had lightened up a considerable amount, letting just a couple flakes here and there fall to the earth. The moon was full, lighting up the dark area. It was large, almost like you could reach out and grab it in your hands. It was a breathtaking and relaxing sight, enhanced by a pack of wolves in the distance, howling their praise at the beauty of the full moon.

“Senpai?”

You blinked in surprise, turning around to look at the grey-haired boy that stood in the doorway. “Choutarou? What are you still doing up?”

He shrugged, pulling his blanket tighter around him as he stepped out onto the deck. A shiver ran through him as his sock-covered feet touched the cold surface. “I couldn’t sleep. I was going to make some hot chocolate when I saw you out here,”

You smiled, patting the wood next to you. “Come sit,” He smiled softly, shuffling over to sit down next to you on the steps, his shoulder bumping yous. “I couldn’t sleep, either,” you sighed, resting your chin in the palm of your hand, elbow resting on your knee. “The full moon is always so beautiful, ne, Choutarou?”

He nodded, glancing at you before turning the gaze up to the sky. “It really is, senpai, but… it’s not as beautiful as you…”

“…what?” you blinked, looking over at the younger male in surprise. Had he just said what you think he did?

He flushed, looking away from you and trying to mutter out an excuse. His gaze moved back to you when you let out a chuckle, making him pout.

“You’re cute, Chou-chan.” you mused, eyes trained on the younger male, who turned a darker shade of red at the comment.

“T-Thank you,” he murmured, brown orbs cast down to the snow. His heart was racing, and he could feel how hot his face was. He must have looked like such an idiot, stuttering out his words in a low tone of voice and trying to get his blush under control. The fact that he was freezing did little to help.

You couldn’t help the genuine smile that came to your lips or the warm feeling that erupted within your chest. You always feel so warm and content when you’re around Choutarou. At first, it made you so angry that a middle school boy could make you feel like a lovesick puppy but, after some time, you came to adore the feeling and held onto it as much as possible. You had an inkling as to why he was the only one to make you feel that way, but your pride refused to let you admit it.

You did want to test something, however, and now was the perfect time to do just that.

“Hey Choutarou,” you called softly, gaining the attention of the male. He slowly looked up, brown orbs locking with your own that sparkled with mischief. Before he could question it, you leaned in, your lips pressing against his. His eyes widened in surprise and he froze, his rapid heartbeat echoing in his ears. His face had turned completely red, giving the ripest cherry a run for its money. What should he do? If he didn’t kiss back, would you take it the wrong way? Would you laugh at him? He was afraid. He had never been this close to another person in this way before and the fact that it was _you_ made it a hundred times worse.

You pulled back after a minute, a small chuckle leaving your lips as you smiled at the male. “Let’s get inside, Chou-chan, before you freeze to death.”

Due to the shock of the kiss, he hadn’t noticed that the blanket had slid from his shoulders, exposing him to the cold air; his body was shivering, and his thin bedclothes did little to give him heat and protection from the cold. Grabbing his blanket, he followed you into the cabin without a word, his gaze fixed on the wooden floor.

“Get some sleep, Choutarou.” you murmured, glancing at him before heading towards your room. Once there, you flopped onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Your lips were tingling from the contact.

You weren’t sure why, and it probably sounded pretty damn cliche, but when your lips touched, you felt a spark of electricity go through your body. It wasn’t painful, though. In fact, it felt pretty damn good. You closed your eyes, finally able to drift off to sleep with Choutarou and that kiss fresh in your mind.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	12. Commitment✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

_Knock, knock._

The sound echoed throughout your room, bringing you out of the manga world you had been engrossed in. Your eyes shifted to the door before a soft _come in_ left your lips. Upon hearing the words, Choutarou hesitantly entered the room, afraid of what might reach him. He was worried that you might be upset or angry over what had happened last night and figured it’d be best to tread carefully until he figured out the situation.

Choutarou found you sitting on the cream-colored sofa, legs pulled up to your chest with a book resting on your knees. He couldn’t tell which book you were reading, but it had a colorful cover.

“What’s on your mind, Chou-chan?” you asked, eyes moving back to the printed page.

“W-Well…” he shifted nervously, rubbing his forearm and glancing around the room, anywhere but at you. “Can we talk, senpai?”

“‘Bout what?” you blinked up at the male.

“A-About last night…” he muttered, rubbing the back of his leg with his sock-covered foot.

Your eyes narrowed, your grip on the book tightening. Was he upset over the kiss? It was his first, wasn’t it, and you had taken it so unexpectedly. Taking a deep breath to calm yourself, you closed the book and looked over at him, eyes softening. “Sure, let’s talk.”

He moved to sit at the end of your bed, which was across from the couch you were sitting on. His brown eyes stayed trained on his hands as he played with his fingers. You could see the small bit of red that had painted the younger male’s cheeks and you felt a small flutter in your chest. Why does he have to be so cute? “H-How do you feel… about last night?”

“It was nice,” you murmured, eyes cast to the ceiling. You could still recall the tingling he had left behind after you parted, as well as the warm feeling that had stayed within your breast.

“R-Really?” he leaned forward, his brown orbs shining as his lips curled up into a smile.

You nodded, feeling relieved at his reaction, but still feeling guilty. Your gaze moved to the wood floor while you hand fidgeted with the black ribbon bookmark. “I uhh… I’m sorry about kissing you, Choutarou.”

“Eh?” he blinked, confused at the apology. Did you regret it?

“I know it was your first kiss… and I took it without even asking. I took advantage of you because of my own desires. Sorry,”

Choutarou quickly shook his head, springing off the bed and onto the floor in front of you. “N-No! You didn’t take advantage of me at all! To be honest, I… I was really happy,” he grabbed your hands in his own, his cheeks flushing. “I’m glad that you kissed me and I… I’d like to be… more than just friends…”

“More?” you muttered, blinking down at the younger male. After what he said finally registered in your mind, the corners of your lips pulled up into a smirk. You removed your hands from his, grabbing his face and smacking your lips against his. He visibly tensed, shocked at the sudden action, but relaxed a moment later. He pushed back against you and you gave a sharp tug, bringing him down on top of you, lips molding together like hot metal.

When the need for air arose, you pulled apart, breathing heavy with flushed faces.

You couldn’t stop the chuckle that passed your lips as you brushed his bangs to the side. “I would love to be your partner, Chou-chan.”

He grinned, his arms wrapping around your neck as he nuzzled his face into your neck. With that small action, the two of you became a couple. You knew that you would give everything you had to Choutarou. He was, after all, the only guy that had ever caught your interest, and probably the only one that ever would. You were entirely committed to this boy and you didn’t see that changing any time soon.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	13. Gun✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

Around three-thirty in the morning, both Gakuto and Hiyoshi were jolted from their sleep after hearing a loud sound echoing in the woods outside. Immediately, the pair scattered, waking up everyone in the cabin. Atobe was the only one who couldn’t be bothered, and ignored their attempts to get his attention; he was back asleep as soon as they left the room.

As for you, no matter how hard Gakuto and Hiyoshi tried, you refused to wake up, only mumbling incoherent curses under your breath. After five minutes, they gave up and met the rest of the boys in the living room.

Jirou heaved a big yawn, covering his mouth and wiping the sleep from his tired eyes. “What’s going on?”

“We heard something,” Gakuto whispered harshly, glancing around the room before looking back at the group.

“Gakuto, we’re in the woods. You’re going to hear things,” Yuushi sighed, running a hand through his navy blue hair.

“This wasn’t a normal woody sound!” Gakuto hissed.

“We heard a gunshot!” Hiyoshi insisted.

Ignoring the ‘woody sound’ comment, Yuushi heaved another sigh. “Are you sure you weren’t just hearing things? Or dreaming maybe?”

“We were not hearing things!” the boys chorused. “And we weren’t dreaming, either!”

Before Yuushi could sigh for the third time, another gunshot rang out through the woods, causing all of the boys to freeze. Their breathing hitched as they stared at the glass sliding doors.

“W-We told you!” Gakuto hissed in a whisper, clinging to the long-sleeved shirt that Yuushi wore.

Yuushi had no response and nor did the others. They didn’t know what to think, but there was no denying the fact that they had all just heard a real gunshot and it was _not_ a dream.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	14. Murder✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

“Let’s go check it out,” Shishido announced, grabbing his coat and slipping his shoes on.

“A-Are you crazy!?” Gakuto grabbed onto the back of Shishido’s shirt to stop him from leaving the cabin.

“None of us are gonna be able to sleep until we know what it was. So, we go and find the source of the gunshots, come back to the cabin and then go to sleep.” Shishido shrugged, sliding the door open. “Come on, Gakuto.”

Gakuto gave a strangled whine, grabbing his jacket and sliding into his shoes before running out the door after the brunette.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Choutarou asked, glancing at Yuushi.

His blue eyes were filled with worry as he watched them disappear into the woods. “We can only hope so,”

Choutarou nodded, his own eyes filled with worry at the thought of the danger his two friends could be entering. He could only pray that they came back safe and sound.

**_Some people search their whole life to find, what I found._ **

“Are you sure about this?” Gakuto whispered, grabbing onto the sleeve of Shishido’s shirt. His eyes were darting back and forth, searching for any sign of movement.

“This is the direction it came from, right?” The brunette questioned, glancing at his red-headed friend. He held his pointer finger out in front of him towards a small clearing a few feet ahead. “There’s light there, see? We’re almost there. There’s no point in backing out now when we’ve come this far.”

Within a few minutes, the two boys had reached the clearing illuminated by the moon that hung low in the velvety black sky. There they found a cabin, just a little bit smaller than Atobe’s. The sliding glass door was cracked and the lights were on, but it was impossible to see inside due to the maroon colored curtains that hung over the door.

The two boys exchanged glances before slowly creeping up the stairs, wincing when they creaked loudly under their weight.

Shishido knocked softly on the glass. “Hello? Anybody here?”

Hearing no response, he slid the door open farther and stepped inside, freezing almost instantly at the sight before him. Blood covered the wooden floor, splattered on the walls and even the ceiling. In the middle of the room lay two bodies, pale and lifeless, which were lying in pools of the crimson liquid. A bloody knife lay by the man’s head. A gun inches from the woman’s hand.

Gakuto gulped from behind him, taking a shaky step back.

“W-We should go…” Shishido took a step back, his eyes wide with fear. Shishido was a hard person to scare, but seeing two dead bodies… he was terrified.

As if on cue, the two boys took off running as fast as their legs would carry them. It didn’t matter how many times they tripped or fell, they got right back up with the thought of getting as far away from that cabin as possible and back to the safety of their own. Their lungs burned and their bodies shook with fear, but they kept running.

When they returned to their cabin, the rest of the group – minus Atobe and yourself – were sitting around the living room waiting for them. They each wore a startled expression when they saw the two boys leaning against the now closed and locked glass door, breathing extremely heavy with pale faces and wide, fearful eyes.

They didn’t have the chance to question it before the two boys pushed away from the door and ran, frantically, down the hall until they reached your room. Choutarou tried to protest, to stop them from waking you up, but they were too fast and had slammed into your bedroom before he could stop them, their bodies hitting the floor.

They could only watch the two as they scrambled to their feet.

“Y/N!” They chorused, both on either side of your bed. They were shaking you repeatedly, yelling your name and doing whatever it took to wake you from your slumber. You were the oldest person in the cabin, other than Atobe’s butler, and they needed comfort that only you could provide them.

Finally, after what seemed like hours but was actually only a mere few minutes, you finally woke up, tired eyes narrowed into a glare at the two boys. You were ready to kill them for waking you up, but that was the last thing they were worried about now.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	15. TV✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

“You better have one hell of a good reason for waking me up in the middle of the night or you’re dead,” you growled at the two boys sitting across from you at the kitchen table, folding your arms over your chest.

They tensed at the word _dead_ and Gakuto began to shake, biting his lip and closing his eyes tightly. Your lips pulled down into a frown. You had made such threats a hundred times over and it never bothered them before. They should know that you wouldn’t really do it, you were just pissed. So why are were taking it to heart all of a sudden?

“Must you always make such threats? And you don’t have to speak to them in such a cruel manner,” Yuushi scolded from behind you, pushing his glasses up. You scowled, sliding down in your seat and attempting to ignore the disapproving look he was sending you. Choutarou stood next to him, glancing at Yuushi before back to you. He wasn’t sure how he should feel about this whole mess.

“I-It’s important,” Shishido stuttered, his hands balling into fists around his jeans. This sent a wave of shock through everyone in the room. Shishido… stuttering without just cause? It was hard to believe.

“Talk to us. What happened out there?” Yuushi questioned, his blue eyes watching the two for any slight changes in attitude or expression.

“Out there?” You questioned, glancing at Choutarou.

“Gakuto-senpai and Hiyoshi-san heard a gunshot, so Shishido-san went with Gakuto-senpai to check it out. They were like this when they returned,” Choutarou explained softly, his brown orbs shining with worry. You felt a pain in your chest when you noticed how upset he was. Choutarou was not a person who should be sad or upset, it’s just unbearable.

“Alright, so what did you see, then?” You questioned, eyes narrowed at the two.

They tensed again, glancing at each and gulping. After taking a big breath, Shishido began to explain what they had seen upon discovering the cabin. He made sure to explain in great detail the entire scene. Everyone’s eyes widened in shock aside from yourself, who found it hard to believe. Everyone was left speechless; they just didn’t know what to say to that.

You stood up, the chair scraping across the wooden floor as you did so.

“Where are you going?!” Shishido stood up as well, his eyes still clouded with fear as he watched you walk towards the hallway.

You paused, turning back around to face the brunette. “You’ve both been watching too much TV. It was probably just a dream. Maybe you should stop watching those damned horror movies, Shishido.” You turned back around, shaking your head. “I’m going back to bed.”

“You can’t!” Gakuto cried, jumping out of his seat and latching tightly onto your arm, halting you from moving any farther.

“It wasn’t a dream!” Shishido grabbed onto your other arm. “It was real! We both saw it, and the others heard the gunshots, too!”

You scowled, closing your eyes in an attempt to contain your growing annoyance. Sensing this, Choutarou pulled his friends away before moving to stand in front of you, his brown orbs locked with your narrowed ones.

“They won’t be able to sleep until we figure out what’s going on,” he said softly, taking ahold of the bottom of your white tank top and sending you a pleading look. “Can you please check, Y/N-senpai? And then you can go back to sleep without anyone bothering you,”

Your eyes softened as you listened to his words and pleading tone. Why did this boy make you so weak? Your gaze moved to the side and you bit down onto your lip. Normally, you’d flat out say no and be done with it, but Choutarou was holding you back from doing that. You just couldn’t refuse anything he asked of you and that alone was enough to piss you off.

Talk about adding fuel to the fire.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	16. Mission. Quest. Thing.✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

“Fine!” You sighed out, turning around to glare at the source of your annoyance. Relief washed over Gakuto and Shishido and they rushed over, hugging you tightly and repeatedly thanking you. You scowled, attempting to push the middle schoolers off, to no avail. “Get these idiots offa me!”

“If you want Y/N to check into it, I’d suggest letting them go before they change their mind,” Yuushi commented, pushing his glasses up. Almost instantly, the pair let go, shuffling over to stand on either side of the tensai. You sent him a thankful look and he shrugged. “Think nothing of it,”

“I’ll be going then.” You heaved another sigh, grabbing your hoodie and throwing it on before slipping into your sneakers which were placed by the glass door with all the others.

Choutarou watched you carefully, biting his lip almost hard enough to make it bleed. He didn’t want you to go alone. What if something happened to you? He’d never be able to forgive himself, but if something _did_ happen, what could he do? You were much stronger than he is physically and if it was something even you couldn’t handle, then he didn’t stand a chance, but… he couldn’t let you go alone, he just couldn’t!

Just as you were stepping outside, he called out your name, making you pause and turn around with a questioning look. Sending you a determined look, he rushed over, grabbing his own coat and slipping into his shoes. “I’m going with you!”

“Choutarou!” Shishido called out in disbelief. His kouhai was out of his mind!

Choutarou shook his head at his senpai, a silent sign saying that he wouldn’t change his mind. “I can’t let Y/N-senpai go alone, it’s too dangerous!”

“Doesn’t matter,” you yawned, rubbing the back of your head as you stared boredly at the black forest. “I won’t let anything happen to ’em, anyway.”

“You better not!” Shishido growled, narrowing his eyes at you.

Normally, you would have responded with a smart comment or a threat, especially with you being as tired as you were, but you knew he was just worried about the younger male. They had a special bond with one another and you would not be someone to come in between that.

“Alright, Choutarou. Let’s get this Mission… quest… _thing_ over with,”

“Mission quest thing?” Gakuto questioned, cocking his head to the side. “What kind of name is that?!”

You glared at him over your shoulder. “Fine. Murder investigation. Is that better?” He gulped, shaking his head rapidly. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,”

Choutarou sent one last look at his senpai, giving him a reassuring smile before following you out the door. Thanks to the directions they had gotten from the pair, the cabin was fairly easy to find and didn’t take too long to arrive there. Choutarou was nervous about going up to the house, but you showed no fear. You didn’t even believe that the two had seen what they claimed to have seen; it was probably their imagination.

Kids these days, they watch too much TV.

Shaking your head, you climbed the steps and let your knuckles touch the glass. “Oi! Anyone here?” You waited a few minutes for a response and, hearing none, you slid the glass door open.

“Y/N-senpai!” Choutarou whispered, scrambling after you and grabbing onto your arm. “We can’t just – “

“This is the murder scene?” You scoffed as your eyes scanned the room. The room looked like a living room type area but there was no furniture, with the exception of a plasma TV that hung on the far wall, to the left. The floor was made of wood, a bit darker than the one in Atobe’s cabin, and the walls were a beige, off-white type color. As far as you could see, there was no blood and certainly no dead bodies. What the hell was wrong with those two?

Choutarou glanced at you, his voice soft. “I know what you’re thinking, Y/N-senpai, but Shishido-san wouldn’t lie about something like this. You know how brave he is, but he was terrified!”

“Yeah, but – “

“Hello? May I help you?”

The two looked up at the female voice. Standing in the doorway across the room, obviously leading into the kitchen, was a brown-haired woman wearing an apron. In one hand was a dishrag and in the other was a glass. Her head was cocked to the side, a curious expression on her face as she wondered why two strangers were standing just inside the doorway of her cabin.

You and Choutarou exchanged a confused look.

Just what the hell was going on here?

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


	17. Slippery When Wet✶

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

“Ahh, well… you see…” Choutarou blushed, rubbing the back of his head. What was he supposed to say? Surely he couldn’t just come out with the truth.

“We were told of a murder that happened here,” you responded bluntly. Apparently, _you_ could…

“Senpai!”

“What?” You glanced at your boyfriend, but before he could respond, the woman started laughing, making a tic mark appear beneath your eye. “The hell’s so funny?”

“I… haha… I’m s-sorry… hahaha!” The woman took deep breaths, clutching the glass tight so she didn’t drop it. When she finally stopped laughing, she motioned towards the kitchen. “Come have a seat and I’ll explain,”

You started forward but Choutarou grabbed your wrist. “Are you sure about this, senpai? What if she’s dangerous?”

“Relax, Chou-chan. It’ll be fine,” you slipped your hand into his, gently tugging him toward the kitchen.

“Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at you as she reached into the cabinet to put the glass away.

“No. Thanks,”

She shrugged, walking towards another door, which looked like it led to a hallway. “Sean! Get in here!”

“What?” A male voice yelled back before the source appeared in the doorway, shirtless, with a towel over his dripping dark brown locks. His expression turned surprised when he saw the two of you sitting at the kitchen table, one looking annoyed and the other worried. “What’s going on, Sarah?”

“Sit, sit,” Sarah ushered him over, earning a scowl from the male. She took a seat next to him before speaking. “Now, you claim to have seen a murder here earlier, correct?”

“We didn’t see it. A couple idiots did,” you answered, vaguely aware of the disapproving look from Choutarou.

“Ahh, I see I see. So that’s what this is about,” the male chuckled, resting his cheek on his hand. “First, we should introduce ourselves. I’m Sean Warner,”

“And I’m Sarah Veil. We’re actresses – “

“Actors,”

” – from America. Both of our families are close to the Atobe family and the two of us grew up together. We were rehearsing a scene from our new movie. Mrs. Atobe let us use one of their cabins so we’d have privacy,”

“The scene we were practicing earlier was a death scene, where the husband and wife end up murdering each other because _mphdfhj_ – “

Sarah firmly planted her hands over his mouth. “Sean! We can get into a lot of trouble for giving away that much information about the movie!”

“ _Soffmpry_!”

She shook her head with a sigh, removing her hands and re-taking her seat. “Anyway, that’s the story.”

“We must be pretty good to have fooled your friends like that,” Sean said smugly, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest.

“I don’t know how we missed them, though.” Sarah sighed. “Poor dears. They must be running crazy!”

“If I may, what’s the name of your movie?” Choutarou questioned.

“ _Slippery When Wet_. A murder mystery!” Sean announced proudly. “Due out in the fall of this year~”

You and Choutarou exchanged a look.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**

The sun was starting to peek over the horizon and the boys of Hyotei had received no sleep. How could they possibly even _think_ of sleeping when two of their own were missing? They had gone out on a mission to check out the scene of a murder that Gakuto and Shishido had stumbled upon, but they had yet to return. They had been gone for hours!

“I knew this was a bad idea! I just know something bad happened!” Shishido ranted, pacing around in the same circle he had been creating for several hours now.

“It was your idea to send them,” Yuushi pointed out from his seat on the recliner, one leg crossed over the other.

“No. It was my idea to send _Y/N_ , not Choutarou!” he snapped in return, turning to glare at the tensai.

“So it’s okay for Y/N-chan to be in harm’s way, but not Ootori-kun?” Jirou questioned, cocking his head to the side.

“Yes!”

Before any of them could respond to that comment, Atobe entered the room, dressed in a frilly pinkish-purple nightshirt and black slacks, with Kabaji right behind him. His eyes scanned the room and he raised a brow. “Since when did all of you wake up this early?” he questioned, mainly pointing it towards Jirou, who failed to notice that fact.

“Buchou!” Gakuto cried, springing up and latching onto the captain, who looked mortified at the contact. “They’re gone! They’re _dead_! **Murdered**!”

“Murdered? What are you going on about? And get off of Ore-sama!” With some reluctance, Gakuto backed away. “Yuushi! Just what the hell is going on here?!”

Yuushi sighed, glancing at the door. “We were woken up in the middle of the night by gunfire. Shishido and Mukahi went to check it out, and saw – “

“Dead bodies!” Gakuto interrupted. “There were two of them, one man and a woman!”

“There was blood everywhere,” Shishido added, shaking his head as if to rid himself of the memory.

“Yes, well,” Yuushi gave them a look. He clearly did not take too kindly to being interrupted. “After waking them up, Y/N and Choutarou headed over to take a look. They have yet to return,”

“Which cabin?” Atobe questioned, his face devoid of any emotion.

“It starts out East and then a sharp turn and you end up West,” Shishido explained, pointing to make his point.

Atobe shook his head with a sigh, barely refusing the urge to facepalm. “That cabin is being lent to friends of Ore-sama’s mother. They are practicing for their roles in the new movie, _Slippery When Wet_. It’s a murder mystery,”

“So they… were _acting_?” Gakuto questioned dumbly and Atobe nodded. “But… Y/N and Choutarou…”

“They either got lost or are talking with the two staying there,” Atobe ran a hand through his hair. “Ore-sama is sure they will return soon,”

“I hope you’re right,” Shishido muttered, staring outside, which was slowly becoming brighter as the sun rose higher into the sky, escorted by a mass of light gray clouds.

**-ˋˏ ༻❅༺ ˎˊ-**


End file.
